Beneath That Cold Exterior
by Transient Beauty
Summary: Battle of Hogwarts has ended. Lucius is imprisoned in Azkaban. Narcissa is deranged due to overwhelming grief. Draco Malfoy is stumbling, groping about in the darkness for that last glimmer of hope. Hermione Jean Granger. Dramione.


**Prologue**

A youth with a heart of ice stood alone in the darkness of the Forbidden Forest, faint moonlight illuminating his sharp features.

His cold eyes stared into the distance, pallid face expressionless. Apathy was his final line of defense against the cruel, merciless world.

He watched his father imprisoned by the Dementors.

He watched his mother crumble into irreparable pieces.

He didn't shed a tear. Experience had taught him that it was useless.

**Chapter One**

The usual jovial chatter of the students at the Great Hall reverberated throughout the place as they dug ravenously into their breakfast. Striding towards the Great Hall without the usual company by of his lackeys, Crabbe and Blaise, Draco Malfoy felt something gnawing at his heart.

He felt—hollow and empty. Crabbe…he was engulfed by Fiendfyre and he couldn't save him in time.

'Hey Draco!' He heard a strangely familiar voice calling his name.

'Crabbe!' He looked up from the marble floor and turned around, looking for the source of the voice eagerly. Everyone in the hallway stared at him queerly. Realizing that it was but a mere hallucination, he pushed all thoughts about Crabbe to the back of his mind and continued walking towards the Great Hall.

The moment he stepped into the Great Hall, a sudden silence fell over the entire student population. He knew what the silence meant. '_Two-faced bastard!_' That Weasley had yelled after punching him in the face. Yet the Golden trio had saved his life at least twice during the— Well. They saved his life after all. Including the mudblood. He sat at his old seat and hurriedly finished his breakfast, unable to stand the constant stares he received from the student population. In his hurry, he knocked over his pumpkin juice and inadvertently wet Astoria's robes. Muttering a brief apology, he made his way to the library, hoping to get away from all the unwanted attention as quickly as possible.

Pulling out an ancient book on the history of Potions absent-mindedly, he muttered a brief spell and conjured a comfortable seat for himself. He flipped through the pages idly, not really reading a single word on each page. It was not soon before he dozed off into a restless slumber.

'Draco, you're going to be late for Double Potions if you still insist on sleeping.' Hermione nudged Draco, in an attempt to awaken the asleep blonde. He did not budge from his original position. It was then Hermione paid more attention to his facial features. She had to admit that his sharp nose made him look decent. And his pale skin… it somehow gave him a vulnerable and fragile look, especially when he was sleeping. Moving slightly in his sleep, he seemed somewhat innocent…like a newborn baby. Hermione couldn't resist but to extend her hand and stroke that pale visage. She knelt down beside him and continued stroking him.

It was then that he made an abrupt jerking motion and shook Hermione out of her temporary trance. 'No-' Draco exclaimed as he tossed and turned restlessly, gripping Hermione's hand in the process. 'Don't leave me-' He mummured, in a barely audible voice that sounded more like a whimper.

'Wake up, Draco!'

His eyes opened.

Rubbing his eyes, it took him the briefest fraction of a second to register the fact that it was Granger standing in front of him. And then he noticed his death-like grip on her small tender hand. Small tender hand? What was wrong with him? He rarely noticed such details about the filthy mudblood. His groggy grey eyes resumed their usual cold look and he released his grip on her hand instantly. Muttering a brief incantation to make the seat disappear and the book to return to its original position on the shelf, he gathered his belongings and made his way to the Potions classroom hurriedly, leaving a dumbfounded Hermione behind.


End file.
